civilized

adjective

civ·i·lized | \ ˈsi-və-ˌlīzd

Definition of civilized

: characteristic of a state of civilization civilized society especially : characterized by taste, refinement, or restraint

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Examples of civilized in a Sentence

A civilized society must respond to crime with fairness and justice. Stop yelling. We have to be more civilized about this. Try to act like a civilized human being! a civilized way to spend the evening

Recent Examples on the Web

How such immoral subjugation could occur in an otherwise civilized country seems unfathomable to today's U.S. citizens. — Tom Titus, latimes.com, "On Theater: A haunting premiere of ‘Little Black Shadows’ at SCR," 19 Apr. 2018 The ambiance is quiet and civilized, as well-suited for a client lunch as a special occasion with the in-laws. — Janice Leung Hayes, Condé Nast Traveler, "19 Best Dim Sum Spots in Hong Kong," 5 Mar. 2018 There's something about seeing a pregnant belly that makes even the most civilized people forget their manners. — Kimberly Fusaro, Woman's Day, "10 Things You Should Never Say to a Pregnant Woman," 13 Jan. 2014 But American Airlines wants to make things a bit more civilized: Earlier this year, the airline tested a food pre-ordering system for economy class passengers on select routes; the service went systemwide on August 1, reports The Points Guy. — Katherine Lagrave, Condé Nast Traveler, "American Airlines Now Lets You Pre-Order Meals in Economy Class," 14 Aug. 2018 In the first case, Riggs himself the voiceover for Carl's letter to Rick, reminding his father about fonder times from before the apocalypse, and pleading for a return to their more civilized nature. — Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Walking Dead': Here's What Carl Wrote in His Letters to Rick and Negan," 8 Apr. 2018 No other civilized country accepts our level of gun violence. — CBS News, "Arne Duncan: It's time to change the game on gun violence," 27 May 2018 In Greek mythology, cannibalism was seen as an abominable practice that divided the civilized and savage worlds. — Pallavi Kottamasu, BostonGlobe.com, "Were cannibals really so bad?," 2 June 2018 The debate was civilized and enlightened, especially in the take-no-prisoners world of social-media argument. — Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, "'Roseanne' revival stirs debate among comedians Silverman, Nanjiani, Eichner," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'civilized.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.